Interview w/ Benjamin Christensen, Writer for Hats and Tats & Oakland A's Enthusiast

With baseball season rearing its head and just around the corner, we have another interview primed and ready for the masses! Today, we sit down with Benjamin Christensen, founder and writer for his own blog Hats and Tats and a devoted Oakland Athletics supporter. Ben was kind and gracious enough to devote some time out of his increasingly busy schedule to touch up on a few baseball and music related topics as we talk about what the A's need to do this year to go deeper in the playoffs, and what inspired him to write his own blog Hats and Tats, a site devoted to his ever growing baseball hat collection. Here is my interview with the majestically bearded and heavily tattooed individual:

Can you give us your name and what site you write for?

Benjamin Christensen. I write for eDraft Sports, Fantasy Trade 411 and I have my own blog at: hatsandtats.blogspot.com

How did you first become interested in journalism and writing?

I first got into writing when I was 13-years-old. My teachers were impressed with not only my ability to spell, but that I knew the definitions of and how to use $10-words in a complete sentence. From there my general curiosity and desire to learn combined with my writing talent around the time I was 16, which also happened to be the time I discovered Hunter S. Thompson. I had never felt so connected to a journalist, even a Gonzo journalist, at any other point in my life, and it's then that I understood that journalism goes beyond the newspaper and network news broadcasts. It's about hitting the streets, interacting with everyone around you and developing relatable stories.

What is your earliest recollection of seeing baseball either in person or on TV?

My earliest recollection of baseball came in the form of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I have yet to view a more intense, heartbreaking game since.

What do the Oakland A's mean to you personally and how have they helped shape the person you are today?

The Oakland A's, much like the Boston Red Sox, are more than a team, they're the life-blood of the city and its people. I found myself drawn to them because they were a bit flashier than the Giants. Seeing Canseco and McGwire hitting bombs and then finishing it up with the “bash” warped my mind for life, in all the best ways possible.

What are your hopes for the A's going into this season, do you think they can duplicate the success they had last year?

I don’t have any doubt that we can win the American League West title for a third straight year, but my concern is whether or not we’ll have to face the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. If there was a way I could sell an organ to keep that from happening, I totally would. They’ve been the bane of our existence since 2006 as well have lost EVERY series we’ve played against them since then.

Talk about your site Hats and Tats and the concept surrounding it?

The blog actually started out as a tool to put in a better habit of writing every single day. Due to the fact that I collect New Era Caps and had so many of them, I felt that it was perfect subject material because I could write about something new, but keep consistent every single day. The first month-and-a-half I focused all of the attention on: where and when I got the hat, a history of when the hat was used by the particular team and then finally a story which pertained to the numbers I wrote on each cap. The numbers stood as my personal tribute to the players/fans/teams that each hat represents and the particular time period in which it was used. Once I got into February (2013) I noticed that my stores became a bit more longwinded as I had been keeping all of these great stories from my love affair with baseball locked up. As I started adding more depth and personal twang to each story I noticed that they were getting better, as was the public response.

If you were up at bat for the Athletics, what would your personal walk up song be?

I’ve actually thought about this question for the last decade or so and finally came up with a solid answer: “Don’t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang)” by Eagles of Death Metal.

What kind of music do you listen to regularly in your spare time? Any favorite artists and/or genres?

I will listen to almost everything, but my biggest influences fall in the punk, classic rock categories. If I could see ANY band perform live with all of its best/original members it would definitely be The Ramones. Even though I’m a huge Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc. fan. No band has influenced and made me love life as much as The Ramones have.

How can people read your site and contact you via social media?

I tend to use the name Shakabrodie for everything these days, so that would be the best way to get ahold of me on Twitter and Instagram. As far as my blog is concerned, it's at: hatsandtats.blogspot.com

Lastly, what is one thing you would like people to know about you? 

Contrary to how much of a madman I look like on TV and in photos, I’m probably one of the most grounded people I know. For some weird reason looking like a member of the Manson Family has served my goal of bringing fans back to baseball. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Thanks once again to my friend Ben Christensen for taking some time out to do this interview! When I first saw him on the MLB Fan Cave about two years ago, I was impressed with his knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for the game of baseball ( and also his amazing beard), and I made it my mission to become friends with him and I'm so glad we bonded together over our observations of baseball over Twitter. And mark my words, me and Ben will attend an Oakland A's game at Fenway this year! Follow Ben on Twitter up at the link above, and get to know him as well as I have and you'll find an extremely vibrant and dedicated individual who loves life and baseball as much as I do.